Subheading · Chapter 52 · Heading 5203

5203.00: Cotton, carded or combed

Subheading 5203.00 belongs to heading 5203 (cotton, carded or combed) in chapter 52.

Importing into Country of origin

What you pay

Importing into UK from Congo - Kinshasa

Customs duty Free preferential rate · DCTS Comprehensive

Additional duties and charges — No additional measures recorded for this origin.

VAT 20% import VAT

Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →

5203 00 00 00 Cotton, carded or combed Free

Additional duties and import rulesCongo - Kinshasa

Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.

No additional measures recorded for this origin.

UK: imports by month

last 12 months£429k-64.1% · previous 12 months

Average import price£4.80 per kg

Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Monthly data: Eurostat Comext (CC BY 4.0), HMRC (OGL v3.0)

Main suppliers, last 12 months

Country	Value	Share	Change
China	£222k	51.9%	-44.3%
United States	£124k	28.9%	+169.8%
Türkiye	£29k	6.8%	-73.5%
Italy	£15k	3.5%	+66.3%
Japan	£14k	3.3%	—
India	£11k	2.6%	-92.3%
Australia	£5k	1.2%	-53%
Pakistan	£4k	0.9%	-98.9%

Same subheading in other tariffs

EU Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line

Türkiye Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line

USA 4.3% – 5% General (MFN) 4 tariff lines · average 4.8% · 1× specific or compound duty

World trade in 2024

5203.00 · US$212.7m

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$133kUS$133k+US$1.1m+US$6.3m+> US$19m

Exports: 102

India: US$77.6m
Indonesia: US$20.2m
Türkiye: US$19m
Japan: US$8.7m
Poland: US$8.7m
Pakistan: US$7.9m
Tanzania: US$7.7m
Italy: US$7.4m
United States: US$7m
Uganda: US$6.3m
South Korea: US$4.4m
Mozambique: US$4.2m
Malaysia: US$3.5m
China: US$3.4m
Portugal: US$2.6m
Germany: US$1.9m
South Africa: US$1.8m
Spain: US$1.7m
Estonia: US$1.5m
Uzbekistan: US$1.4m
Thailand: US$1.4m
Russia: US$1.4m
Lesotho: US$1.4m
France: US$1.2m
Mexico: US$1.1m
Netherlands: US$1m
Czechia: US$928.4k
Vietnam: US$528.3k
Belgium: US$510.8k
Greece: US$477.1k
Azerbaijan: US$467.9k
Brazil: US$467.6k
Costa Rica: US$444.4k
Egypt: US$388.9k
Hong Kong SAR China: US$332.7k
United Kingdom: US$308.9k
Australia: US$293.2k
Hungary: US$292k
Guatemala: US$250.6k
Romania: US$213.7k
El Salvador: US$194.6k
Tunisia: US$186.3k
Austria: US$169.8k
Latvia: US$168.4k
Serbia: US$166.5k
Honduras: US$164.5k
Taiwan: US$158.3k
Turkmenistan: US$154.9k
Denmark: US$133k
Morocco: US$103.9k
Peru: US$86.2k
Switzerland: US$54.8k
Madagascar: US$53k
United Arab Emirates: US$52.5k
Bulgaria: US$52.3k
Kazakhstan: US$48k
Argentina: US$43.6k
Sweden: US$40k
Canada: US$38.1k
Finland: US$33.6k

Top exporters

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	India	US$77.6m	36.5%
2	Indonesia	US$20.2m	9.5%
3	Türkiye	US$19m	8.9%
4	Japan	US$8.7m	4.1%
5	Poland	US$8.7m	4.1%
6	Pakistan	US$7.9m	3.7%
7	Tanzania	US$7.7m	3.6%
8	Italy	US$7.4m	3.5%
9	United States	US$7m	3.3%
10	Uganda	US$6.3m	3%

Top importers

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	Vietnam	US$79.4m	37.3%
2	Poland	US$15.2m	7.1%
3	China	US$11.8m	5.6%
4	France	US$11.6m	5.5%
5	Greece	US$7.6m	3.6%
6	Pakistan	US$6.8m	3.2%
7	Spain	US$6.7m	3.1%
8	Taiwan	US$5.3m	2.5%
9	Germany	US$5m	2.3%
10	Japan	US$4.1m	1.9%

Binding rulings for similar goods 1

Decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS) and HMRC (Advance Tariff Rulings) on goods classified here. A ruling binds only its holder, but shows how the authorities classify similar goods. The descriptions are the authorities’ own, in English.

H314186 U.S. CBP 17 September 2024 · 5203.00.30

Application for Further Review of Protest No. 2304-20-101510; Tariff classification of comber noils and eligibility for preferential tariff treatment under the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”)

Subheading 5203.00 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is duty-free.

The Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule has one tariff line for subheading 5203.00; the duty is duty-free.

174 countries pay no duty in the UK thanks to trade agreements and preference schemes such as DCTS Comprehensive and European Union, against a standard rate of .

Imports of these goods into the UK came to £429k between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 64% on the year before); China supplied 52%, followed by United States.

In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$212.7m (−65.8% year on year).

The largest exporter was India (US$77.6m), followed by Indonesia.

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for cotton, carded or combed?

Cotton, carded or combed fall under HS subheading 5203.00, part of heading 5203, in section XI of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on cotton, carded or combed in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 5203.00 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

What is the import duty on cotton, carded or combed in the EU?

Under the Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule, imports under 5203.00 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Which country exports the most cotton, carded or combed?

India, with US$77.6m in 2024 (36.5% of world exports).

Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?

174 countries pay no duty under a trade agreement or preference scheme, among them partners under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union, DCTS Enhanced. The goods must meet the agreement’s rules of origin and the importer needs proof of origin; otherwise the standard rate of applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.

Where does the UK import these goods from?

In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were China (52%), United States (29%) and Türkiye (7%), out of total imports of £429k.